The present invention relates to a personal respirator device comprising a compact, integral forced-ventilation filtration device for a closed space to be protected, which space can be the breathing space in a gas mask, a protective helmet or hood, or a closed room.
Personal respiratory protection against toxic or otherwise harmful or hazardous aerosols, vapors and gases is based on filtration, by physical and/or chemical filter media, of the breathing air prior to inhalation.
Until recently, the air was drawn through the filter by suction force produced by a person's pulmonary function. However, the need to stay in a contaminated environment for prolonged periods of time, under conditions of elevated temperatures and humidity, the need to protect the elderly and sick, as well as infants and babies, and the necessity to enable personnel to perform complex tasks while using respirator devices, has motivated the development of protective devices that utilize the forced-ventilation concept.
Forced ventilation was achieved by combining filters and blowers, using filters that were designed for non-forced ventilation applications and blowers designed for altogether different purposes, and joining these two components by an adaptor or housing.
The results of this hybridazation, known as filter-blower units, were heavy, bulky and cumbersome, inconvenient to carry and totally unsuitable for babies and small children.